Author gets to heart of what leadership takes

One of the best things about Nine Minutes on Monday is that it delivered more than the title promises, which is pretty rare, in my experience. James Robbins claims that anyone can become a much better leader by just taking nine minutes each Monday morning to ask themselves nine questions. These questions are so specific that we are almost bound to take action on them if we answer them honestly.

One of the questions managers ask most often is: “How do I motivate and engage my employees?” Robbins’ answer: meet their nine basic needs. The primary four needs are the need to know the manager cares about them; the need to have challenges they can master; the need to be appreciated; and the need to have a purpose, a sense that their work is making a difference.

The other five needs are also important. The difference is that they are easier to meet once the four primary needs have been met. The final five include: a chance to have some control over their own work; the need to feel they are growing or moving forward; the need to have some type of relationship with their co-workers; the need to enjoy their work; and some sense of where they are and where they are going — a path to follow.

All this sounds good in theory. But how do you actually meet these needs, and more importantly, how do you meet them when you feel you already have more than enough to do? This is where his nine-minute session every Monday morning fits into the puzzle, and where the book really delivers.

Each need has a chapter devoted to how you as a manager can meet that need. For example, how do we show employees we care about them and their welfare? He suggests one good start is for us to know what he calls each employee’s “vital statistics” — their spouse’s name, the names and ages of their children and one of their hobbies or interests. And if you really want to be world-class, know about the state of their aging parents’ health.

While many managers do this naturally, a lot do not. Think of your manager. Does he or she know your vital statistics?

If you are one of those managers who realize you do not know those things about your employees, don’t try sending out a survey to gather that information. He suggests a walkabout once a week, to talk to employees about their concerns and interests, to show them they are more than a number or a pair of hands. So many managers have virtual employees nowadays that he has included some ideas for how to show those distant employees you care about them.

If you think you actually do a pretty good job of engaging and motivating your staff, take the “spouse test,” to see whether you are or not. If your employee’s spouse is friendly and receptive when you meet him/her at a party or in the grocery store, you’ve passed the test.

Robbins has wrapped his whole premise of becoming a better leader on his experiences as an avid mountain climber. He compares the leader/manager to being a good mountain guide. They are good climbers but they aren’t being paid because they can climb the mountain themselves. They are paid to help the climbers they are guiding get to the top. Your employees are your climbers.

He stresses that as managers we are in positions of authority. Thus we have far more influence over how people feel about their work than those farther up the career ladder. We have the power to enhance their work experience or to detract from it. Employees stay with good managers and leave even jobs they love if they have a poor manager.

Another important point he makes is that being a great leader does not demand that you do great things but that you do these small things that make a difference in the life of your employees; that you do them consistently; and that you do them as well as you can. Leadership improves with practice so we also must be willing to stay the course, even when the going gets rough.